LOOKING AFTER YOUR GRAPHIC T-SHIRT

Now you’ve fallen in love with your cool new graphic t-shirt, all we want is for you to live happily ever after in sartorial harmony.
All our t-shirts have been designed to last but, because they have no harmful chemical finishes, for best results please follow these simple care instructions.
If you’ve been wondering how to wash your graphic tees, read on. We’ll show you how to ace it.

HERE’S HOW TO MAKE YOUR GRAPHIC T-SHIRT LAST LONGER

Why Bother?

Glad you asked! Longer-lasting clothing means less environmental damage and waste, contributing to making the world a better place. Plus, your wallet will thank you.

We live in a disposable society full of waste. Inbuilt obsolescence a given. It’s little wonder that this way of doing business has spread to the fashion industry, where trends last a total of 5 minutes and clothing is made with shoddy workmanship and poor quality materials. After a season when they wear out (as they were designed to), we throw them away, the logic being it’s cheaper to buy new than repair the old.

We are dedicated to challenging this way of thinking.

HOW TO WASH GRAPHIC TEES

The only rules you should obey (or risk ruining your shirt).

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS

Never assume t-shirts are all the same.
Always check your care label, found on the inside of the neck area either on a label or printed on the t-shirt itself. We at Allriot believe that there is a special place in hell for brands that use scratchy woven neck labels, so we print our wash instructions directly on our shirts. See, we’re always looking out for you guys!

WASH YOUR T-SHIRT INSIDE OUT

Turning your garment inside out prior to washing minimises fade and screen print damage. You have chosen your statement t-shirt because you believe in its message, so make sure it lasts. Fabric rubbing is a quick way to create pills, and printed items could crack and peel from too much friction. Just imagine rubbing a piece of sandpaper on your skin. That’s how a t-shirt feels when it’s washed with denim and towels. Ouch!

COLD WASH

Although 100% cotton t-shirts are usually pre-shrunk, they still tend to shrink a little, particularly if washed and dried at hot temperatures. We recommend you wash your t-shirt at a cooler temperature (no more than 30″C) to preserve the artwork and minimise shrinkage. Cold wash is ideal, of course. It will get your clothes clean and it’s certainly gentler on the fabric. There’s no good reason to use harsh cleaning products on your clothes. Use a stain remover on spots but try to stay away from bleach and other strong detergent products all together.

SAY NO TO TUMBLE DRYING

Natural drying is where it’s at – your t-shirt will thank you for it, as will the environment. High heat is probably the worst enemy of printed apparel (and most clothes). Technically, Allriot t-shirts can be tumble dried, but please be aware this may quicken the aging process of your t-shirt. Please also be aware that high heat shrinks cotton fibres. We recommend you hang it out to dry naturally instead, out of direct sunlight and turned inside out. Line dried t-shirts smell better too.

DO NOT IRON PRINT

Only ever iron your print if you really, really must. And if you really, really must, then iron inside-out on the lowest possible setting, or place a tea towel over the image to protect it from smudging. You may not always need to iron your t-shirt anyway. Some people don’t even bother. Just make sure you never overload the washing machine with too many items. This should prevent your clothes from coming out too crinkly.

SCREEN PRINTING or DTG?

All t-shirts will eventually wear out and fade – it is only natural after all. A lot depends on how you look after your graphic t-shirt, as well as on the printing method used in production.
As all our t-shirts are professionally screen-printed or ‘Direct To Garment’ (DTG) printed, considerate care of your t-shirt will lead to wear after wear of riotous use. Heck, with proper care, your t-shirt is sure to outlast the political regime du jour.

Here’s a quick summary of the printing methods we use.

SCREEN PRINTING:

With screen printing, ink is fixed ‘in’ the shirts and not on them, resulting in a durable, high quality print. Each colour is printed separately, so this method is only suitable for 1-3 colour designs.

DTG PRINTING:

The D in DTG stands for Digital. Whilst screen printed t-shirts are durable and colourfast, t-shirts printed using DTG are more prone to fade. However, with a bit of washing know-how, both will deliver winning results.